A day in the life of ...: February 2020

The Philippine Diaries – Day Sixteen & Seventeen (images)

The Panglao Sea Resort, Panglao, Bohol, The Philippines

A delicious breakfast place in Oslob, Cebu

The Panglao Sea Resort

Last dive with the whale sharks which aren't pictured here

The Philippine Diaries – Day Seventeen

I woke up around 4:30AM with a slight headache but it wasn’t bad enough to take an Advil. The plan was to go snorkelling but it was grey and cloudy and slightly rainy. I wasn’t overly inspired to go outside. I stayed in bed and enjoyed the view of the ocean. I was able to have a hot coffee in the room because there was a coffee maker and a kettle for boiling water.

Around 8:00AM, I went downstairs to order breakfast. It was included in the price of the room and it was delicious! Rain was pouring down which was a shame. I was really hoping to get in the ocean or the pool once more before departing.

I had a 1:35PM flight and the girl at the front desk said one should be at the airport two hours ahead of their departure time. The Panglao Sea Resort offers guests a free ride to the airport and she had arranged for the owner to take me over around 11:30AM.

I went back to my room, took a shower and packed up my stuff. I relaxed on the balcony and enjoyed the ocean views until it was time to go. It was a quick ride to the airport and I got through the first security check and check in almost immediately. I then went through proper security to the passengers only area. There was nothing in the airport. There was nowhere to buy souvenirs and there were only a few tiny food stands selling snacks and drinks.

I asked about buying masks but the medic station didn’t have any. I hoped to find some at the Manila Airport. I sat near my gate and read. I wanted to finish February's 'read, The Alchemist, before arriving home in Taipei. I still had a slight headache and wasn't feeling great. I was worried about going into the air with whatever it was that I was experiencing.

I met a lady at the airport whose husband was Filipino. We talked about our adventures and they told me that they were on their way to the lake beside the Taal Volcano. Her husband had family there and she showed me pictures of where they would be staying and said that the area had been cleaned up quickly. She said there was still plenty of work to do as some houses had caved in due to the weight of the ash but the area was working together to clean up. She imagined that the Taal Volcano would be 'no man's land' from here on in. I was still sad that I had missed hiking it by ten days.

The flight to Manila left late but I wasn't too concerned as I had plenty of time to get myself to the international terminal. When we landed, rather than deal with the airport shuttle bus, I hopped in a taxi. I had quite a bit of money left and I wanted to use it up before returning to Taiwan.

I found a pizza restaurant at the airport and had a Caesar salad and a beer. I took an Advil along with the beer as my headache had returned. I sat in the restaurant for some time going through photos. I ordered a mini pizza for dinner before deciding to wander around the airport.

My first stop was to the Air Asia counter to see if I could check in. I had my big backpack with me which I was hoping to get rid of. They let me check-in and then off I went to do some shopping. I was not able to find a mask anywhere in the airport. I did fill a shopping bag full with dried mangos, candy, magnets and chocolate. There would be souvenirs for everyone! I managed to spend all of my money and with the few peso I had left, I found a donation box.

I went to my gate and finished my book. My flight was scheduled to leave at 11:15PM. Around 8:00PM, I got an email from Air Asia saying my flight had been cancelled due to a malfunction and that we'd be departing the following day at midnight and would arrive on Monday at 2:15AM. I panicked but noticed that no one else seemed too bothered. There were a ton of people at the gate already.

I observed people for some time waiting for any reactions. I noticed the sign board changed from showing 11:00PM to not showing anything at all. I was not going to be happy if I had to spend another full day and evening in Manila. I imagine Air Asia wouldn't be paying to put us up in a hotel. The flight details also suggested that the new flight was going to be 26 hours. How is that even possible?

I checked the Manila airport website and the flight was showing as scheduled. I also googled the flight and it was showing as scheduled but running forty minutes late. I went to find the sign board listing all the departing flights and it showed that the flight would be leaving at midnight. I was relieved. At this point, I just wanted to get home.

The flight started boarding just before midnight and we were on our way. I managed to nod off for an hour or so on the quick flight home. My driver was waiting for me at 2:30AM with a hot coffee! Love him! When I got home, I dropped my stuff on the floor, grabbed a quick shower and headed into the comforts of my own bed with my purring cat! It was nice to be home ... just in time for a forced and unpaid two week vacation due to Coronavirus.

The Philippine Diaries – Day Sixteen

I woke up around 5:00AM but stayed in bed until 5:30AM. My stuff was mostly packed up and the few things I needed for diving were ready to go. I was taking my computer to the dive shop because they had an SD card reader. I was hoping to get all of the photos off of my GoPro since my cord wasn't working. I had six hours to waste at the Manila airport the following day so going through photos would give me something to do.

The Deep Zone Dive Center driver was there at 5:50AM. The skies were cloudy and the ocean was rough. I was wondering if I should’ve gone diving with the whale sharks the day before. My fingers were crossed for a successful dive.

I got to the shop, had a coffee and noticed the SD reader was on the desk so I took it upon myself to use it and was able to copy all of the images from my GoPro onto my computer! While I was doing this, a mother and daughter from Taiwan came in to dive with the whale sharks. I was kind of hoping to get the dive master all to myself. Luckily for me, the two ladies hadn’t been diving in a very long time, so the owner of the shop took them out and left the dive master and I on our own.

We were just about to head into the water when my dive master said that the visibility would be no good. My heart sank a little but there was nothing I could do about it in that moment. I was suited up and ready to go and make the best of it.

I told the dive master that I was going to get a lot closer to the whale sharks and he should keep his eye on me. That is what I was meant to do the first time around but was not too confident about swimming away from the guide. The second time around, when the dive master guided me to swim closer to the whale sharks so he could take a photo, I did exactly that.

I stayed higher in the water and therefore had whale sharks swimming directly at me. I squealed out loud on a number of occasions and had so much fun in the water. The whale sharks got so close to me, which resulted in some lovely photos. The visibility wasn’t great that morning but the dive master did his best!

I was thrilled! It was much more exciting than my first dive and I was so happy I had decided to go again. It was an excellent way to end my trip. We stayed in the water for 55 minutes as the marine biologists who monitor the area time you. If you stay in the water for over one hour, the dive shop gets fined.

I giggled all the way back to the shop. I had a slight headache, which isn’t uncommon after a dive or two, and I assumed I was dehydrated. I went back to the shop and drank a bunch of water while the girl was putting the photos of our dive onto my computer.

My dive master then sped me back to my resort on his scooter. Upon arrival, the lady from the front desk said that the boat to Panglao was going to be leaving at 9:30AM and someone would be there to pick me up at 9:00AM. It was 8:44AM.

Thankfully I had packed up most of my things the night before. I grabbed a quick shower and threw the rest of my stuff in my pack and was outside by 8:55AM. The tricycle driver was waiting for me.

The driver took me to a different dock for a proper ferry over to Panglao. It was a very different experience than the trip from Panglao to Oslob. This new boat was much bigger with a lot more passengers.

My headache was still very present, even after taking an Advil. I had ringing in my ears, I felt slightly lightheaded, extremely tired and a tad nauseous. I knew it had to do with my dive but I wasn’t quite sure what it meant. I didn’t have service on my phone so I couldn’t look further into it.

I felt queasy for the entire boat ride and my head was in a lot of pain. I was slightly worried. We didn’t do a safety stop on our dive but we weren’t more than eight or nine meters down in the water. My breathing certainly wasn’t slow and steady as it should be. I was screaming and laughing and perhaps holding my breath a few times when the whale sharks were coming straight at me, and this could have been why I was experiencing pain in my head.

The boat dropped us off on the west side of Panglao, which was where the resort was that I’d be staying for the night. I had booked a room with a view at a place called the Panglao Sea Resort. It boasted nice snorkeling right in front of the resort and there was a pool! Unfortunately, my headache was not subsiding and I didn’t feel like doing anything.

I dropped my stuff off in the room and went to the restaurant for lunch. I ordered a salad and sandwich. (400PHP) It was lightly raining during lunch. While I was eating, I read about headaches related to diving. I canceled out decompression illness but did learn about what causes headaches during diving. I wondered if it was a strain on my neck from continually looking up while diving or if I was experiencing a mild case of carbon dioxide toxicity.

Either way, the headache stayed with me for the entire day. I ended up taking about four Advil throughout the day, maybe five. The sun came out in the afternoon and I did swing in a lounge chair near the ocean and read for a bit. I was very close to finishing February’s book. I then went for a swim in the pool. The water was icy cold but it was refreshing and helped with the headache momentarily.

I sat in a lounge chair until sunset. I was on the sunset side of the island but clouds had covered the sky and there was no sunset to see. I eventually went upstairs and grabbed a nice, long hot shower. I then went down to the restaurant for some dinner.

While I was eating, I was working on my journal when an elderly-ish gentleman came up to me and said something about being a solo traveler with a computer. He asked for my name and we spoke for a few minutes about the resort. I complimented the resort and said I was very happy to be there. He then said he’d comp my dinner. He told me he was the owner and could do stuff like that!

We spoke for sometime about Canada, as he had lived in Montreal for ten years, and his life in the Philippines. We spoke about Asia and Coronavirus and the effects it’s having on the world and on his business. It was lovely to meet him and I was touched that he treated me to dinner!

After dinner, I went up to my room and hopped into bed. It was not even 8:00PM but my headache was still very much with me. I took yet another Advil and hoped that a good night’s sleep would finally take the headache away.

I woke up around 1:00AM with a pounding headache and took another Advil. I knew I was just masking the pain and was slightly concerned. I was going to be hopping on two flights the next day and spending a good chunk of the day in airports. Was flying going to make it worse? And should I be telling someone about this? Hmmmmm.

The Philippine Diaries – Day Fourteen & Fifteen (images)

Watching the whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu, The Philippines

A trumpetfish near Sumilon Island in Oslob, Cebu

An amazing looking anemone under the sea near Sumilon Island

A sea turtle hanging out near Sumilon Island

The Philippine Diaries – Day Fourteen & Fifteen (images)

One of many starfish on my dive near Sumilon Island, Oslob, Cebu, The Philippines

Obligatory selfie on one of my dives with Deep Zone Dive Center in Oslob

Earnie and I hanging out at the Lantawan Resort restaurant

Diving with the whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu

The Philippine Diaries – Day Fifteen

I awoke in the wee hours of the morning to a massive rainstorm. There was lightning and rain was pounding on the windows. I wondered if my diving plans were going to be canceled.

I fell back asleep until 4:30AM when the power snapped off. Everything was dark and quiet except for the pounding rain. When the power went out so did the Wi-Fi. I had no service on my phone at the resort so if the dive shop wanted to contact me, how would I know?

The power snapped on for a minute but immediately went back off. I used the flashlight on my phone to find my headlamp and gathered some things together as I really had no idea what was going to happen.

At 5:25AM, I was still in bed. My dive stuff was ready; it was just a matter of getting dressed and brushing my teeth. The power was still out. For all I knew the dive shop had already sent me a message to say that diving was canceled. I thought about seeing if I could find someone at the resort to help me call the dive shop and ask what I should be doing.

Then at 5:35AM and no word of a lie, I said out loud, ‘come on, power’ making it instantly snap back on. It freaked me out. Eerie! I quickly grabbed my phone and messaged the shop to find out about diving. They said it was a go but they wouldn’t pick me up until about 6:00AM.

I wasn’t too keen to go but what else was I to do on such a crappy day. I was worried about the sea being murky from the heavy rain. When I got to the shop, four divers were there geared up and waiting to go on the whale shark dive. I put on my wetsuit but then decided against going to see the whale sharks that morning. I knew I could sneak in a quick dive before leaving the following day when the weather was supposed to be better. The shop kindly offered to drop me off at my resort and pick me up later but I opted to wait around for the 9:30AM dives to Sumilon Island.

I spoke with the owner of the shop for some time and it was nice to get to know him and learn more about the area, the whale sharks and the practices in place. I felt better about my decision to see the whale sharks. I eventually left the shop to find some breakfast before heading out on the dives. It was still slightly raining and I wondered how the dives would be.

We set off for diving around 9:30AM. Sumilon Island was quite close to Oslob and we were in the water quickly. The first dive was phenomenal! Great visibility and we saw a few reef sharks, a sea turtle, tons of fish and lovely coral. I felt very comfortable in the water and finally had my buoyancy down to perfection. As soon as we reached the surface, I spit out my regulator and giggled with delight.

We moved to the other side of the island for our second dive. After waiting out our rest period, we hopped back in the ocean. The second dive was just as awesome as the first and I was so thankful I decided to go out for the day. After the dives, we went back to the shop and eventually the driver from the shop took me back to my resort.

I took a shower to rinse the sand off and went to grab a hot coffee. I was starving so it wasn’t long before I hit the restaurant to have a very early dinner and a beer. I ordered chicken curry with some rice. (240PHP)

I went back to my room and threw myself on the bed. I then started organizing my things, as the next morning would be rushed. I was scheduled to do one more dive with the whale sharks and I had a tricycle picking me up at 10:00AM to take me to the place where I could board the boat back to Panglao.

I eventually went back down to the restaurant and got another beer. I sat on my balcony with Earnie until dark and that was when I realized that Earnie was, in fact, a girl cat. She was as content to be by my side as I was to have her there. Cats are awesome!

I stared at the ocean for a long time that evening with my thoughts. It had been a wonderful vacation but I was kind of ready to go home. I had learned earlier in the week that I would have two more weeks of forced and unpaid holidays upon my return due to Coronavirus. A part of me would have loved to stay in the Philippines for another two weeks but part of me was quite keen to have a two-week holiday at home as well. I did ask my cat sitter if she could stay on, but she had another gig in Japan. A few friends offered to feed Levi so I could extend my stay but she’s elderly and I feared it would be too lonely for her.

I retired to my room after dark and had an early night as I had a 5:50AM pick up for my last dive of my vacation!

The Philippine Diaries – Day Fourteen

I woke up around 3:30AM feeling well rested and awake. I tried getting back to sleep but didn’t have any luck. I went outside around 4:00AM to get some hot water from the machine for a coffee only to find out that they unplug the water machine overnight. No hot coffee for me. Sigh.

I noticed that they had a barrier across the entire entrance of the resort and I wondered how I was going to get out at 5:40AM. I neglected to tell anyone that I was diving at 6:00AM.

I went back to my room with a lukewarm cup of water and added some coffee to it. It was disappointing but the best I could do at that hour. Around 5:30AM, I headed outside to see if there was going to be a way for me to move the barriers to get my scooter out. As I headed down the stairs, two of the girls were awake and moving the gates from the entrance.

I headed out for my dive around 5:40AM. There were only two of us diving that morning with an instructor. By the time we got geared up and everything ready, it was almost 6:45AM. The whale shark area was crawling with people wanting to swim with them. I was hoping to beat a good majority of those people in the water though it didn’t happen which was slightly disappointing.

Oslob is known for whale sharks as the boatmen feed them krill. There is a lot of debate online about whether going there and supporting this activity is a good idea. A lot of people have suggested it’s not good for the whale sharks but then others have said that the boatmen aren’t feeding them anything outside of what they would find on their own. The owner of the Deep Zone Dive Center told me that people are allowed to swim with the whale sharks in the morning only as the animals go out to hunt in the afternoon.

People are warned about getting too close to the whale sharks or touching them and fines are in place if you don't follow the strict rules. I asked how the rules were enforced and my dive instructor said that marine biologists were in the area in boats and in the water with cameras. They would fine you 2,500PHP each time you touched the animals or got too close.

I actually contemplated for weeks about whether or not to go to Oslob to see the whale sharks. Most of the articles I found online suggested taking a miss because it's unethical but in digging a bit deeper I found other articles that said the people of Oslob aren’t doing anything wrong. I decided to give it a go in the end.

Diving with the whale sharks

We did a shore dive that morning and I loved that one of the guys from the shop carried my BCD and tank for me, both ways. I totally could’ve done it myself but they are heavy so I was very grateful!

It was a shallow dive at 9.5 meters. The instructor said that if we lost him, we should stay where we were and he would find us. That worried me a bit as it went against everything I’d learned about diving. I probably stayed too close to my instructor and missed out on getting closer to the whale sharks.

It was amazing to be below the whale sharks. They are massive creatures! I thought they would be scary and intimidating but they moved slowly, gracefully and gently in the water. It was an amazing experience!

Before leaving on the early morning dive, I had given the dive shop another 4,000PHP to do two dives at a neighboring island called Sumilon Island, leaving at 9:30AM. Upon returning, the lady at the dive shop told me the other two divers didn’t show up and they wouldn’t go out on boat dives with only one diver. She said that they would be going to Sumilon Island the following day.

I decided to do another early morning dive with the whale sharks the following day before the Sumilon Island trip. The lady at the dive shop said someone would pick me up at my resort at 5:40AM.

The weather wasn’t looking great for the early evening or for the following two days. I was unsure whether or not we’d be diving in the rain. I gave the dive shop my WhatsApp, so they could contact me about any changes.

When I got back to my resort, I returned the rented scooter, as I wasn’t motivated to do much. I had a late breakfast/early lunch at the restaurant, which consisted of a mango shake and a simple ham, beef and cheese sandwich. (210PHP)

After eating, tiredness set in and I headed to my room for a nap. I didn’t think I had fallen asleep until I looked at my phone and it read 1:00PM. I felt disoriented so I got out of bed and went to the restaurant for a hot coffee. (20PHP)

Earnie the Cat

I read my book and played with a local cat that has a bum ear. We became fast friends! He was adorable! I named him Earnie and wished I could’ve taken him home for a better life. He was a lap cat and we had more than a few cuddles!

Around 3:00PM, I decided it was happy hour. I went to the restaurant to get a San Miguel Light beer for 50PHP. I sat on my balcony and caught up on my journal.

At some point in the late afternoon, I had another beer and some noodles at the restaurant. (190PHP) I grabbed one more beer before heading into my room for the night to watch some TV. Once again, I retired early as I had a 5:15AM alarm set. The dive shop was set to pick me up at 5:40AM.

The Philippine Diaries – Day Thirteen

I slept extremely well and woke up around 4:30AM, a half hour before my alarm was set to go off. I was awake so I got up and boiled some water so I could enjoy a coffee in bed. My bag was already packed so there wasn’t much to do but wait.

On the boat from Panglao to Oslob

I set out around 5:45AM to meet with a guy who had sold me a ticket for a boat from Panglao to Oslob. He showed up with a motorcycle and took me over to where the boat would pick me up. On the ride over, I was thinking about how easy it was to put trust into a person that you don’t even know in a strange country. How did I know he was going to take me to the boat? Yet, he did exactly that.

I was dropped off at a different beach and told to wait. A few other people were there but not many. About a half hour later, we were told to follow a guy. We had to wade in the ocean for some time, making me a bit nervous as I had all my belongings with me, before hopping onto a tiny boat. We were then taken out to a bigger boat with a handful of people on it. It looked old and was smaller than the dive boat I was on last week. I hoped it would make it on the two-hour journey over to Oslob.

Upon arrival, the sea was rough and the shoreline was rocky. I was, again, slightly worried about how we would get our stuff from the boat to the shore without it getting wet. Five guys came down to the boat to help our two boat guys, a father and son, get the boat as close as possible to the shore. They also brought a long ladder. I looked at the guy on the boat and asked him to help me with my big bag and the men started a line passing the bags off the boat. They took everyone’s luggage off, even our little bag and purses. When it came time to get off the boat, we got wet up to our waists. That’s one way to get to an island, I suppose!

I hired a tricycle to take me to my hotel for 300PHP. The name of my newest hotel was the Lantawan Resort. It was quite possible that I was their only guest for my three night stay. The resort sits directly across from the ocean though it’s a rocky shore that’s not great for swimming. I was in the middle of nowhere and the only way to get into the city (10 minutes one way) or to the diving shop (ten minutes the other way) was by tricycle or by renting a scooter. I opted to rent a scooter from the resort for 600PHP/day.

I ordered some breakfast from the restaurant at the resort and made friends with an adorable kitten. I had a ham and egg sandwich and a hot coffee for 135PHP. It hit the spot. I then asked for some information about boats back to Panglao before hopping on my newly rented scooter and heading to the dive shop. I had already booked a morning dive with the whale sharks the following day online. (3,000PHP)

I went in to the Deep Zone Dive Center to talk to them about diving over the next couple of days, as it didn’t seem like there was much else to do in the area. There was a waterfall nearby but it apparently had no water, so I didn’t want to waste my time.

Thankfully my room had a balcony that overlooked the ocean. The breeze coming off of the water was wonderful so I decided to spend the afternoon on the balcony enjoying the views and the breeze and catching up on my journal. The reviews of this place suggested they had fast Wi-Fi. They did not.

At some point in the afternoon, I hopped back on my scooter and headed in the opposite direction of the dive shop to the town of Oslob. It was very tiny and there wasn’t much there. I ate at a place called VLK Pizza that I had found on Google Maps. It had decent reviews and who doesn’t love a good pizza?

I ordered a pepperoni pizza with a cold beer. (340PHP) The pizza was delicious and I had a few slices left over so I took them to snack on later. I then hit the 7-11 to stock up on a few snacks for diving over the next couple of days and picked up two cold beers for the evening.

I went back to my room, watched the sunset from my balcony and retired early for the night. I watched a bit of TV and had my lights out by 8:00PM. My alarm was set for 4:40AM as I had a 6:00AM dive.

The Philippine Diaries – Day Twelve

I slept fairly well though I found myself giggling in bed throughout the night at the noise outside. Cows, pigs, roosters, dogs, motorcycles, someone singing. I went to the restaurant at my guesthouse around 7:30AM desperate for coffee but no one was around. The driver from the boat was gardening and called out for someone to help. ‘Coffee’ was all I could say.

I ordered breakfast and then went back to my room to pack up. I was contemplating going back for a second round of zip lining at the Loboc Ecotourism Adventure Park but decided it probably wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting as the day prior. I had a one hour drive to get back to Alona Beach. I needed to return my rented scooter at some point that day.

I asked the lady at the Loboc Cool River Resort to get my bill together and it was then that she told me breakfast wasn’t included in the price of the room. Upon arrival she told me it was and I told her I didn’t really know so I took her word for it and had breakfast every morning. I wouldn’t have eaten breakfast had I known it wasn’t included. I suppose it was partly my fault for not looking at what I had booked exactly though I also felt that they shouldn’t have so confidently told me breakfast was included without checking first. Had I been a broke backpacker, I would’ve been quite upset as it ended up tacking on 1500PHP/900NT/CAN$40 to my bill.

Hinagdanan Cave

I departed at 10:30AM. The drive back was straightforward and went quick. I got back to the Alona Hidden Dream Resort just before noon hoping they’d have a room available. They did not. I left my big pack behind their counter and set off in search of the Hinagdanan Cave. It was on my list of places to see though it had very mixed reviews. It was 50PHP to go inside, 5PHP for scooter parking and an extra 75PHP if you wanted to swim inside the cave. It was a neat cave and I loved that you could swim inside. I didn't trust the water so I neglected to go in though it was a neat idea.

I went back to the Alona Hidden Beach Resort after 1:00PM hoping they would have a room and they did. I was put in the exact same room as my last visit though the room looked much cleaner this time around. They added bathmats in the bathroom, which was a nice touch. I dropped my pack on the floor and didn’t even bother unpacking, as I would be departing very early morning.

I was starving so I went across the street to the Seven Seas Restobar. They had fast Wi-Fi and the food was delicious! I had a chicken and cheese quesadilla with a cold beer. (490PHP)

On my way back to the room, I stopped at the 7-11 for a tall beer and some salt and vinegar bites and then headed to the resort pool with my book. I did nothing but float and read for two hours. I had the entire pool area to myself. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Sunset on Alona Beach

The guys from Bohol Scooter were coming around 5:15PM to pick up the scooter from the resort. After I returned it, I headed down to the beach for sunset. I walked up and down the entire length of the beach. The sunset wasn’t that great but being back on the beach with my feet in the sand was relaxing.

I picked up some spring rolls and some freshly cut pineapple along with two beers on the way home and stayed in my room for the night. My alarm was set for 5:00AM. I watched some TV, took a shower and had my lights out by 8:30PM. I put in my earplugs and hoped for the best.

The Philippine Diaries – Day Eleven (images cont'd)

The Sipatan Twin Hanging Bridge

The boat from the Loboc Cool River Resort

The Loboc River

Starting February's read in a hammock along the Loboc River

The Philippine Diaries – Day Eleven (images)

Some houses in the neighborhood on the Loboc River

A Philippine Jeepney in Loboc

The Camaya-an Hanging Bridge

A private boat tour with the Loboc Cool River Resort

The Philippine Diaries – Day Eleven

I had a fairly decent sleep despite all the animal noises. There was a cow mooing to join the dogs, the roosters and the pigs. I dragged myself out of bed at 7:45AM to get some coffee. Unfortunately my room didn’t have a kettle so I couldn’t have a hot coffee in bed.

I ordered breakfast with my coffee. I planned on going to the Leboc Ecotourism Adventure Park, which opened at 8:30AM. I wanted to get there early to avoid the lines. The only thing to do there was zip line over the river. For 450PHP, you can zip line two ways, about 500 meters each way. The zip line offered gorgeous views over the river with a view of Busay Falls.

After, I went off in search of two bridges. On the firefly tour, we passed under a bridge that I thought was the ‘hanging bridge’ I’d read about in the area. It was not. It was called the Camaya-an Hanging Bridge. No one was there. I had service on my phone so I looked for the other ‘hanging bridge’, which was called the Sipatan Twin Hanging Bridge. It was 35PHP to walk across the twin bridges.

The twin bridges were made of bamboo and were very rickety. I thought the bamboo was going to snap under my feet causing me to fall through to the river below. The bamboo apparently gets replaced very second month and the bridges have been there for over thirty years. It was a quick visit but worth it!

I went back to my hotel and decided to go to the restaurant next door called Food and Fables. They advertised ‘healthy’ food. I ordered some plantain ‘chips with salsa and a green papaya salad along with a beer. (380PHP) The food was OK, not great.

I had organized to have the boat from my guesthouse take me out for a few hours in the afternoon. I wanted to go to Busay Falls and the only way to get there was by boat. It was 800PHP to rent the boat for the afternoon. Two boatmen, neither of which spoke English, took me out on the river and over to the waterfall. The driver hopped in the water with me and enjoyed a quick swim but wasn’t a strong swimmer. The other guy indicated that it was too cold. It was 31°.

I played around in the water for almost an hour. It was clean and refreshing! There were three tiny waterfalls along the river and I swam to each one. On the way back from the waterfalls, the boatmen stopped at a natural cold spring. The place was packed with locals and there was a lot of excitement when we pulled up. I hopped in the water, which was icy cold, but it wasn’t that clean and there were a lot of bugs flying just above the water. We didn’t stay for too long.

It was a lovely afternoon on the water and nice to be in a small boat on my own. There were plenty of big cruise boats going up and down the river. They offered buffet lunches and some had live music but you couldn't jump into the water from those boats. I read online that renting a small boat was much better than the big cruise boats. I agreed as it was up to me to decide what to do!

We got back around dinner time so I ordered some chicken curry with rice along with a beer at my guesthouse. (330PHP) I wanted to go back to the Lodge Restaurant and Bar for dinner but was tired from a full day of activities. I got back into my room around 7:00PM and caught up on some photos and my journal. I turned out my lights fairly early, hoping to get a decent sleep!

The Philippine Diaries – Day Ten (images)

The view from the Loboc Cool River Resort

Some dining cruise boats on the Loboc River

The noisy next door neighbors

Another blurry Tarsier (taken with iPhone 7+)

The Philippine Diaries – Day Ten

I didn’t get a great sleep. There were packs of dogs in the area and roosters and pigs next door, which made for a noisy night, however, I felt well rested.

A tarsier

Breakfast was included in the cost of the room, so I went out around 7:30AM to order some food. My plan for the day was to go to the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary. I didn’t get my fill of tarsiers at the last place nor was I able to get any clear shots. I wanted to enjoy them one more time, as they are neat little creatures.

The sanctuary opened at 9:00AM so I left my guesthouse around 8:15AM. When I got to the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary, it was already open though it wasn’t yet 9:00AM. There were a ton of tourist vans in the parking lot already.

The entry fee was 60PHP. A small group of us went for a briefing to learn a bit about the tarsiers. After, we had a guide who pointed out where the tarsiers were. We got to see about five or six. The sanctuary didn’t have any fences like the last place so I was able to get a bit closer for photos though they still turned out a tad blurry. I used my iPhone 7+.

It took about twenty minutes to go through the sanctuary. When the tour was done, I drove northwest to check out some waterfalls. I didn’t have service on my phone and stupidly forgot to take screenshots of the area. I did have an idea of where I was going and I was able to get a location point on Google Maps. I stopped one or two places to ask for help as well. Thankfully most people speak English here and are very friendly!

The first waterfall I came across was called Camugao Falls. I almost drove past the turnoff road because the name of the falls was spray painted in red above another sign. The road was rocky and bumpy and went on for kilometers. I asked someone who was working on their land if there was a waterfall and they waved their hand as if to tell me to keep on going.

Camugao Falls

There was a 25PHP charge for the falls and a 20PHP fee to park my scooter. There were people near the trailhead selling fruit, snacks and drinks. I didn’t buy anything but made my way on the path to the waterfall. It was a lovely fifteen-minute walk in the forest to get to the falls. I luckily had the place all to myself! It was a gorgeous area with a huge swimming hole!

After floating for some time, others showed up. I decided to make my way to the next waterfall. I asked the folks at the Camugao Falls for directions. The other falls I was looking for were called Kawasan Falls. I found them without any trouble. There was a 20PHP entry fee but it was hardly worth it. There was very little water. I thought maybe I was missing something because there are lovely photos online of an awesome swimming hole and comments about it being one of the best waterfalls on the island.

The two men who took my entry fee didn’t speak any English but a young kid used some English words like, water, no, irrigation, off. I found it slightly amusing that he couldn’t speak English yet knew the word irrigation. The waterfall was disappointing but the first one made up for it. It was worth the trip.

I contemplated going back to the first waterfall to hang out for the day but I also wanted to head back to the river to relax for the afternoon. On my way back, I stopped at a restaurant around the corner from my guesthouse. It was called the Lodge Restaurant and Bar. It sits right over the river and serves western style food. I ordered a delicious hamburger and fries and a cold beer. (495PHP)

I headed back to my place and spent a few hours fiddling around with my computer. I discovered that my GoPro wasn’t uploading photos to my computer. I wondered if it was because my computer wasn’t up to date. I updated my software but still had no luck.

I downloaded GoPro Quik onto my computer but it also wasn’t uploading the images. It did inform me that my GoPro needed to be updated so I did that but still no luck. It must be the cord as it’s finicky when I try to charge my GoPro. A bit sucky that that it decided to happen on my vacation. Oh, well. I was able to download the images onto the GoPro app on my iPhone via Wi-Fi. It’s kind of a pain but at least there is a way to get them onto my computer.

Around 5:00PM, I was still very full from my late lunch. I went to the 7-11 and picked up a bag of chips and a couple of beers. I went back to my room and watched three episodes of ‘This is Us’ before turning out my lights for the night and thinking about what I'd like to do the following day.

The Philippine Diaries – Day Nine

I was up early, around 5:00AM. I considered going out to watch the sunrise over the Chocolate Hills but didn’t. I had a coffee in bed and was thinking about the day ahead. I would be making my way about an hour south to the Loboc River for a few days. I was staying at a place called the Loboc Cool River Resort.

I went upstairs for my free breakfast around 7:30AM and then went to get my bill sorted. I didn’t have many things with me so packing up took very little time. I stayed in the room until 10:00AM before making my way to the new hotel. Check in time wasn’t until 2:00PM but I was hoping a room would be ready for me when I got there.

The ride over went quick even though I took my time to enjoy the scenery. I found the hotel without any troubles and a room was ready for me upon arrival! The room was a simple hut and right on the river. There was a rack for hanging clothes to dry on the balcony outside so the first thing I did was hand wash a few of my clothes.

I went for a walk along the river. The day was ridiculously hot and no one was swimming. Perhaps only certain areas are good for swimming. Where I was staying, the water was very still.

I went back to my room, which only had a fan. It was my first hotel on this trip where there was no a/c. The fan worked perfectly and it cooled me down in no time. The room had extremely fast Wi-Fi and I was able to get my mom on FaceTime. We spoke for some time, as it was the first time I’d had a solid connection since my arrival last week.

I went to have some lunch. The hotel had a very small menu. I ordered some French fries and another appetizer that had green chili leaves with cheese wrapped very thinly into spring rolls. They were delicious. I also had a beer with my lunch! (360PHP)

After lunch, I found a hammock beside the river and finished my book ‘Wild’ by Cheryl Strayed. It was very enjoyable and relatable and I was proud of myself for finishing it by the end of January as per my 2020 reading goal.

I wasn’t up for doing anything in the afternoon. The Wi-Fi was super fast so I spent most of the afternoon online in my room! I did sign up for an evening boat tour along the river to see some fireflies. It was 500PHP.

We left for the tour at 6:30PM. There were seven of us on the boat plus three boatmen, two of them being kids. We headed along the river before coming to a single tree that had a ton of fireflies in it. We stationed our boat in front of the tree and didn't move. Other boats of tourists came and left but we stayed. It finally got to the point where we had to ask the driver, who didn’t speak any English, if we could go.

We got back around 8:00PM and I was starving. I ordered some Filipino noodles from the restaurant along with a cold beer for dinner. (260PHP) After dinner, I went to my room and read for a bit before heading to bed.

The Philippine Diaries – Day Eight (images)

The cave we rappelled into at the Chocolate Hills Adventure Park

Another stunning view of the Chocolate Hills on my morning hike

The Bike Zip Line at the Chocolate Hills Adventure Park

On an early morning hike

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